Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-08
Sheep 1nterest.
THE LAST CLIP AND THE PRESENT.


In discussing this subject we are be-
You'd absolute and universally accepted
data. The dimensions of the last clip is
still an unsettled mater. The Textile
Bulletin placed the figures last summer
at 2S2.33l 900 pounds: the government
estimate, in the report issued in February
last, was 2S5,0OO,OOO pounds: and Mr..
Lynch'> statement, made about the open
ing of the new year. places the total about
100000 pounds higher than this. Other
estimates and partial estimates have
ranged between these extremes. The gov
eminent figures are based on calculations
made from known flock conditions. and
nearly all the other statisticians have
evidently followed more or less closely
after the government idea. if indeed they
have not depended almost wholly upon
its data. The figures of Messrs. Lynch,
Bond, and others, are based on informa-
ton collected by their special agents and
others engaged in handling the clip. Be-
tween these statements there is wide
discrepancy. and where doctors disagree
the public must draw its own conclusions.
We believe the government estimate
comes more nearly to the truth, because
it tallies better with what is actually
known by the people themselves of flock
reduction and the consequent fall-otf in
the volume of wool produced. However,
it is worthy of note that through term
of years government figures have been
lower than the average Of others submit
ted to the public.
Hon. j. Il. Dodge, statistician of the
department of agriculture. in Il private
letter kindly writes of the low estimate
of last year as follows: "The estimate of
2S5. 100000 pounds was for the wool of
last springs clip, with the preceding
fall clip. butchers wool, and wool of
sheep and lambs slaughtered between
shearings. 1t was low from reduction in
number of sheep, and al-o from careless
ness and Indifference about shearing in
some distant and scattered sheep walks,
and slightly reduced weight of fleece" 1t
should be remembered tlat there was no
encouragement TO incite to better care
until after the clip in question had been
grown and the greater part of it had been
removed.
But the matter of greatest interest to
wool-grOwers just now i the probable
size of the coming clip. The only author
ity which has yet expressed itself as to
figures connected with the sheep industry
of the current year is tie late govern
ment report before ALLUDED to, and which
was published in these 'colums few
weeks since. This relatdl only to the
number of sheep, but this was placed
about IL per cent. beow that from
which the last clip was taken. Condi-
tons being the same, it w,uld be fair to
infer that the new clip you'd be IL
per cent. below the last, orabout 26i ,000,-
900 pounds. But conditions have not
been the same, but endIgh better to
render it probable that ihe per capita
yield of wool this year will be greater
On this point Mr.. Dod9 says in the
same letter: ''Prices are now higher, and
the wool of sheep Slaughtered since last
May will come into this years stock,
making the average per sheep higher.
Yet there will be further Ifduction in the
aggregate of WOOL" Thatis to say, in
the opinion of this emmett statistician,
the clip of 1887, notwithstanding all of
the influences which have ended to slim
uate wool production, AMI the careful
clipping of all wool produced, will be
less than that of lSS6.-L NATIONAL Stock
man.